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| New pay offer for teachers in Scotland within days, says minister | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Teachers are next due to strike on 28 February and 1 March | Teachers are next due to strike on 28 February and 1 March |
| A new pay offer will be put to teachers within days, the Scottish government has confirmed. | |
| Unions had said any new deal would need to be "significantly" improved to avoid further strike action. | |
| Teachers have asked for a 10% rise, but the previous deal was worth between 5% and 6.85% for most staff. | |
| Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has told BBC Scotland a fifth offer would now be put on the table. | |
| A series of teachers' strikes have been held across Scotland since November, with more planned for later this month. | A series of teachers' strikes have been held across Scotland since November, with more planned for later this month. |
| If additional Scottish government funds are made available, a meeting of local authority body Cosla will be held later this week to agree a new offer before it is presented to unions. | |
| Teachers will strike during exams if dispute not resolved, says union | Teachers will strike during exams if dispute not resolved, says union |
| Ministers' constituencies targeted in escalation of Scottish school strikes | Ministers' constituencies targeted in escalation of Scottish school strikes |
| Ms Somerville said: "The Scottish government has been working very closely with Cosla and we hope that an improved offer will be made imminently. | |
| "We would hope to have something that Cosla would be able to announce to teaching unions within the next day or so." | |
| The education secretary said she hoped the new offer would be enough to suspend planned strike action. | |
| She also described the new proposal as both "affordable" and "exceptionally fair". | |
| The dispute centres on the pay rise which teachers were due to receive in April last year. | The dispute centres on the pay rise which teachers were due to receive in April last year. |
| The most recent offer was made before the first strike by the EIS union in November. | |
| 'On standby' | |
| Nearly all pupils in Scotland have lost three or four days' worth of education since then. | Nearly all pupils in Scotland have lost three or four days' worth of education since then. |
| The next strike action is due to be held on 28 February and 1 March. | The next strike action is due to be held on 28 February and 1 March. |
| The EIS is also planning targeted strikes at schools in a number of areas - including the Glasgow constituency of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. | The EIS is also planning targeted strikes at schools in a number of areas - including the Glasgow constituency of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. |
| Earlier, councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland he was "on standby" to attend a meeting of the country's 32 local authority leaders on Tuesday to approve a revised pay offer. | |
| He added: "What that offer will look like I don't know as I am not privy to the discussions which are taking place in government. | He added: "What that offer will look like I don't know as I am not privy to the discussions which are taking place in government. |
| "I would hope that we could find a way to last least suspend the strikes, maybe pending further discussions around a two-year deal, but at this point in time I really don't know what the government is going to come up with." | "I would hope that we could find a way to last least suspend the strikes, maybe pending further discussions around a two-year deal, but at this point in time I really don't know what the government is going to come up with." |
| Ms Somerville has previously said the government was committed to resolving the dispute as soon as possible. | |
| She said the government was "progressing work for an improved offer to be put to teaching unions." | She said the government was "progressing work for an improved offer to be put to teaching unions." |
| Deputy First Minister John Swinney told Good Morning Scotland the budget for local authorities had been increased by more than £570m but added he did not underestimate the scale of the difficulties facings local authorities due to "raging inflation". | |
| He said: "In a really tight financial situation the government has substantially increased the resources available to local government." | He said: "In a really tight financial situation the government has substantially increased the resources available to local government." |
| Mr Swinney stressed council cuts should not affect teacher numbers. | Mr Swinney stressed council cuts should not affect teacher numbers. |
| "I struggle to see how we can close the poverty related attainment gap without maintaining teacher numbers in our schools," he added. "Teachers are vital in that effort." | "I struggle to see how we can close the poverty related attainment gap without maintaining teacher numbers in our schools," he added. "Teachers are vital in that effort." |
| Mr Swinney also said he could not have gone further in raising income tax after announcing in December that everyone earning more than £43,662 in Scotland would have to pay more. | Mr Swinney also said he could not have gone further in raising income tax after announcing in December that everyone earning more than £43,662 in Scotland would have to pay more. |
| He told BBC Scotland: "Anyone who is saying I have not maxed out my option is not making the proper analysis of what I have done." | |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Teaching | Teaching |
| Scotland Education | Scotland Education |
| Strike action | Strike action |